Issue I. January 1st, 1861.
_Five values._ Lithographed (?) and printed by Mr. Chas. Whiting, of
London, upon medium white wove unwatermarked paper (that used for the
stamps first issued being yellowish in tone); white gum. The entire sheet
of each value contains thirty stamps arranged in six horizontal rows of
five, excepting the Two Pence, which has sixty in six horizontal rows
of ten. Designs: The same diademed profile of Queen Victoria to left
does duty for all five stamps, and the inscriptions are all in white
block letters. The ONE PENNY has the head upon a reticulated background,
enclosed within a band of solid colour, which touches the four sides of
the stamp, and is curved at the four corners. The band is inscribed at
the left top and right side with the name of the Colony and the word
“POSTAGE,” and at the bottom with the value in words. The four corners
of the stamp contain small conventional ornaments, and an outer line of
colour completes the design. TWO PENCE.—The head of Her Majesty rests
upon a reticulated background of a different pattern to that of the One
Penny, and is enclosed within a circular band of solid colour, inscribed
with the name of the Colony above and “POSTAGE” below. Straight label
of solid colour at the bottom of the stamp, with the value in full. The
spandrels are filled in with reticulations of the same pattern as the One
Penny, and the design is completed by a single outer coloured line. The
THREE PENCE is precisely similar to the Two Pence, but the Queen’s head
is contained within an upright oval band. The SIX PENCE is also similar
to the Two Pence, excepting that the head is enclosed within an octagonal
band. The NINE PENCE has Her Majesty’s head upon a similar background to
the One Penny, but enclosed within a ribbon-like band of solid colour,
inscribed with the name of the Colony and the word “POSTAGE.” The hand
is impinged upon at the bottom by a broad straight label of solid colour,
inscribed in three lines “NINE PENCE CURRENCY—EQUAL TO—SIXPENCE STG.,”
the first line being curved. Conventional ornaments in the upper corners,
and a plain outer line of colour completes the design. Shape, upright
rectangular. The One Penny and Nine Pence were not issued with the other
three values, and probably did not come into use until the year 1865.
(_Illustrations 96, 97, 98, 99, 100._)
(A) _Perforated 9._ (January 1st, 1861).
2d., dark rose (shades).
3d., dark blue ( ” ).
6d., yellow-green ( ” ).
_Varieties._—Divided in two, diagonally, and used for half the
values.
1d. (half 2d.), dull rose.
1½d. (half 3d.), dark blue.
(B) _Rouletted._
2d., dull rose.
(C) _Perforated 11, 11½, 12, and compound._ (1865 ?)
1d., brownish-yellow, orange-yellow (shades).
2d., dull rose, carmine ( ” ).
3d., dark blue ( ” ).
6d., yellow-green, bluish-green ( ” ).
9d., lilac ( ” ).
_Varieties._—(A) Divided in two, diagonally, and used for half
the value.
3d. (half 6d.), yellow-green.
4½d. (half 9d.), lilac.
(B) _Imperforate, horizontally._
3d., dark blue.
(C) _Imperforate, vertically._
9d., lilac.
(D) _Imperforate._
1d., orange-yellow.
2d., dark rose.
3d., dark blue.
6d., bluish-green.
9d., lilac.
_Remarks._—The Two Pence, rouletted, is unknown to the Society. The
variety is described in _The Halifax Philatelist_ for November, 1888,
page 129. The writer says the specimen seen was used, and on part of the
original envelope “it has a fine wide margin, and shows the roulette cuts
plainly.”
The imperforate stamps are believed to be proofs, and not to have been
issued in this state. A paper on the minor varieties found in these
stamps was published in _The Halifax Philatelist_ for September, 1888.
The author is Mr. David Lang, and the article a very interesting one. The
following is a reproduction of it:
“VARIETIES OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND STAMPS.
“This province has the reputation of issuing the worst-looking
series of stamps in design and execution of any of the British
North American provinces. On examining them closely there are a
number of varieties in the stamps of which I propose to give a
short list of the most conspicuous. In the
=“One Penny, printed in sheets of thirty; six rows of five
stamps each.=
“_Second row, fifth stamp_: White line above ‘N’ in ‘ISLAND’
broken, filled with solid colour for about one-eighth inch.
“_Second row, second stamp_: Full stop above ‘L’ in ‘ISLAND.’
“_Sixth row, fifth stamp_: No cross-bar to ‘A’ in ‘ISLAND.’
=“Three Pence, printed in sheets of thirty; six rows of five
stamps in each.=
“_First row, second stamp_: White circle and coloured dot in
centre before ‘P’ in ‘PRINCE.’
“_Second row, fifth stamp_: Full stop between ‘E’ and ‘D’ in
‘EDWARD.’
“_Third row, second stamp_: ‘I’ in ‘ISLAND’ with white dash
at top, making it look like inverted L.
“_Same stamp_: Full stop at the top bar of the last ‘E’ in
‘THREE PENCE.’
“_Fourth row, fourth stamp_: Full stop after ‘EDWARD,’ it
being in a line with top of ‘D.’
“_Fifth row, third stamp_: Full stop between ‘P’ and ‘O’ in
‘POSTAGE.’
=“Nine Pence, printed in sheets of thirty; six rows of five
stamps in each.=
“_Second row, fourth stamp_: Two full stops, one above the
other, after ‘STG.’
“_Second row, fifth stamp_: Full stop before ‘S’ in ‘STG.,’
apparently put there instead of after ‘STG.,’ which has none.
=“Two Pence, printed in sheets of one hundred; ten rows of
ten stamps in each.=
“_Third row, tenth stamp_: Part of ‘T’ in ‘TWO’ off, making
it look like inverted I. Full stop before ‘T’ in ‘TWO.’
“In the older printing of the One Penny a peculiarity exists
which some of our readers may have in a complete form; that
is, an outer line all around the stamp. I have four specimens
with this line in the golden yellow and yellow-brown shades,
perforated 12. Specimen No. 1 was the last stamp in the row,
and has the marginal part of the sheet attached to it. The line
is the full length of the right hand side of the stamp, the
perforation going directly through it. No. 2 has the line on
left hand side and bottom, the full length and width of stamp,
with traces of it showing on perforation at top and right hand
side. No. 3 has line showing in parts at left hand side and at
bottom. No. 4 shows only at bottom. The last two are of the
yellow-brown shade.
“This peculiarity may also be found in the Four Pence, but
parts of the line only showing. A peculiarity of the Four Pence
is that in the diamond, on each side of the stamp, there is a
small oval ornament, which has in the diamond on the right hand
side of the stamp a small line to it at top and bottom, but on
the oval at the left hand side none at all in any. The Cent
issue with one exception is free from those errors or secret
marks, or whatever they may be. The one is in the Three Cents,
which are printed in sheets of one hundred, ten rows of ten
stamps in each. The seventh stamp of the first, third, fifth,
seventh, and ninth rows has a full stop between ‘PRINCE’ and
‘EDWARD,’ thus ‘PRINCE. EDWARD.’ The varieties in the Pence
issue mentioned above are, I think, some kind of secret marks,
although they are not found in a regular rotation as in the
Three Cent, being arbitrarily scattered here and there over
each sheet, the varieties of each stamp when they occur being
precisely the same, so that it is hardly possible that such a
series of errors could be made unintentionally; but of this
some one with more knowledge of the stamps may be able to speak.
“DAVID LANG.”
Issue II. 1st November, 1868(?).
_One value._ Engraved and printed by Mr. Charles Whiting upon medium
white wove unwatermarked paper; white gum. The entire sheet consists
of thirty stamps arranged in six horizontal rows of five. Design: The
same diademed profile of Queen Victoria to left, as in the preceding
issue, upon background of horizontal lines. Curved scrolls of solid
colour at top and bottom of the stamp, the upper inscribed with the name
of the Colony, and the lower with the value in words. Beneath the top
scroll a small curved label of solid colour inscribed “POSTAGE.” All the
inscriptions are in white block letters. Fancy ornaments at the sides
of the stamp and a single outer line of colour complete the design.
Shape: Upright rectangular, machine-perforated 11, 11½, 12, and compound.
(_Illustration 101._)